Changes { tag } Talon / Alassiel

[Ember]

The moment the chill of between left him, Chet knew he was going to need to remove his jacket and the thick sweater he wore underneath it. He hadn't expected the heat of the southern summer to be so heavy and thick, but there it was, bearing down upon him on his brown's back the moment he appeared above the Weyr. He looked down, marveling at the construction of the place, and smiling to himself as Sinnjorokath came in for his landing in the bowl... though he supposed it wasn't so much a bowl as it was a... yard? That seemed a more appropriate term for it.

I like this. The heat, the sun. I never did like the snow the way you did. It's a shame we won't be staying here. He offered a leg down as his rider removed his jacket. But Chet didn't slide down just yet. The great brown swung his head around to see what the delay was and watched as his rider removed his rank knots, pulled off his sweater, and placed them again on the undershirt he had worn beneath the heavier garment. Humans are such fickle creatures. I don't understand why you needed so many skins in the first place.

"Because unlike you, dear Sinn, I would have become a frozen flesh knob on your back had you pulled me between." He scratched his arms, now bare and bearing the tattoos he'd spent Turns having lovingly applied, then took the offered leg down to the ground beneath his dragon. The visit to the Weyr would last the day only, something he didn't intend to last long really. He was here to see a particular age-mate friend of the past, someone who held his heart still after all this time. It was probably not te best idea, but he just needed to make sure she was doing well, especially knowing that she'd finally Impressed.

Foolish indeed.

Glad you have my heart's best interests in mind, Sinn. Chet looked around, not at all certain where to begin on his search. Atricis was a big place, full of dragons young and old. How strange would it be to ask for a young woman named Alassiel? He didn't even know the name or color of the dragon that she'd Impressed, only that she had. But he needed to begin somewhere, that much he knew, and so he started to look around the yard, figuring it best to maybe see she was somewhere on the grounds. From there, he could move on to the dining cavern - or was that considered another term, since it looked like most of the Weyr was constructed of buildings instead of the traditional caldera? - and if it came to it... there was always having his dragon sniff things out.

But as it turned out, either he was in luck, or maybe Faranth herself was just looking out for him from someplace beyond between, because he caught a glimpse of a familiar face coming out of a building, and as the progress that she made, he noticed the dragon at her side was... red? He blinked, but no... he wasn't just seeing things, that dragon was indeed red, beautiful and red. He found himself staring, not at the strange - for it was strange to him, seeing as he'd never witnessed a garnet dragon for himself - creature, but at the woman he hadn't seen since he was so much younger.

It was Sinnjorokath that nudged him, reminded him of how rude it was to stared, that he was just standing there looking strange and doing nothing but being a stranger in a strange world. He needed to do something before he was seen, or worse yet, accused of some misdeed. He rubbed the back of his neck and took a breath, waited to see which direction they were headed in and decided to make his approach. Perhaps this wouldn't be too bad of a thing. After all, she might not even recognize him. It had been a handful of Turns, maybe more, and where he would remember her from anything, he knew he'd gone through quite a few changes since she'd seen him last...

He made his approach, his brown waiting patiently over his shoulder at a slight distance, and when he was near enough to have caught her attention, he lifted his hand to show that he was a friendly sort. "Alassiel?"

[Talonflame]

Come on, the growing garnet had urged her rider, a hint of amusement apparent in the dragon’s mental tone, as well as leaking through the bond that she and the young woman shared. In reality, she hadn’t been wasting all that much time, having only just finished throwing on a light pair of shorts and a sleeveless tunic to combat the Southern sun, but Akath had felt like pretending to be more impatient than she actually was. Of course she understood that her rider needed her other ‘skins’, as the dragon had jokingly called the young woman’s clothes on numerous occasions, but it never hurt to tease from time to time, right? The sun is in just the right spot for sunning, and I have a dry spot on my shoulder that’s ever so itchy…

“I’m coming right now, you impatient creature,” the young woman commented, chuckling at the dragon’s insistence as well as the hint of amusement that had bled through the garnet’s tone. It hadn’t been all that long since the Hatching that had brought them together… or at least, it hadn’t as far as she was concerned. In reality, nearly an entire season had passed, and Akath was growing very much like a weed. She fought the urge to laugh aloud as she slipped her feet into the light sandals that she always wore when it came to helping bathe and oil the garnet, remembering fondly the way that the young dragon had almost seemed to double in size overnight within the first few days after her hatching. Of course, with the way that Alassiel had doted upon the young dragon, feeding her within moments of her waking and not complaining in the slightest when the garnet quickly fell back asleep, it was only natural that she would be growing rather swiftly. And considering the fact that Akath hadn’t been that much smaller than her bronze brothers at Hatching Day, she had quite a lot of growing still to do.

Good, was Akath’s quiet response, the garnet rumbling softly and reaching her head over to gently nuzzle against her rider’s shoulder as they finally started walking out of the building that comprised the weyrling barracks. Both rider and dragon blinked in protest to the sudden brightness of the midday sun, Akath ducking her head down for a moment in almost perfect unison with her beloved rider’s lifting of her hand to shield her eyes from the harsh light. It didn’t take either long to acclimate to it, however, and both of them continued their way towards the nearby lake, wishing to get Akath’s itchy spot taken care of before the worst could happen. Not that it would that quickly, mind you, but Alassiel was not about to take chances when it concerned her dragon. In the young woman’s eyes, what sort of rider would she be if she neglected the growing dragon for even a moment? Naturally, however, the garnet thought her rider was just being silly, knowing that there was no way that Alassiel would ever neglect her.

Neither dragon nor rider had noticed the pair lingering close by, though that was mostly because they were beyond Alassiel’s peripheral vision for the majority of the time, and Akath only had eyes for the lakeshore creeping ever closer. But that wouldn’t last for too much longer, as the rider finally entered a spot where the young woman couldn’t help but notice him, urging her gaze towards him as he lifted a hand, presumably to let her know that he wasn’t a threat to her. Well, of course he wasn’t, not with the dragon behind him announcing that he was a fellow rider, she thought with a chuckle and the slightest shake of her head as she noticed that the man actually knew her name. Well, while that wasn’t unusual around here, the fact that she didn’t recognize the brown that followed the man told her that he either wasn’t from Atricis, or he was a fresh transfer from elsewhere. But the only people that knew her name from elsewhere were fellow Telgarians… hmm. Curiouser and curiouser. She took a moment to study the young man’s face, narrowing her eyes a bit as she seemed to struggle to place him in her mind. “I’m sorry, but do I know y--” And there! Her mind froze as her gaze settled on his shoulders, completely stopping her train of thought mid word as her mind took in the scars that marred his skin. Her line of sight drifted down to the hand that he had raised to catch her attention… a hand scarred and calloused from what looked to be Turns of climbing and plucking at the strings of instruments. The placement of the scars, the calluses… and more importantly to her, the eyes. Suddenly she realized that she did indeed know him, and it was a person she hadn’t seen since her last day at Telgar. “Chet?” she asked, her voice almost whispering his name as if saying it would make him simply… vanish into thin air. “Is that really you, Chet? Shards, it’s been Turns! Look at you! How have you been, and a late congratulations on your Impression. What’s his name?”

You know him, my love? Akath asked, her own gaze turning to the young man in question, her head tilting as if scrutinizing him before she turned to regard the dragon close by. Well, then introductions are in order. My name is Akath, and my rider Alassiel, though I’m sure you know that at least. What is your name, great brown, and what brings you to our little corner of Pern?

[Ember]

It was as though time suddenly froze between them. In an instance he stopped breathing and instead stood before her, under her gaze, worried that she might not recognize him. There was so much about him that was different compared to what he'd looked like when they had last seen one another, he really wouldn't have blamed her for not noticing any of the things that were the same. But he really shouldn't have worried, and he let out a breath of sweet relief, his lung filling with the same jubilation and overwhelming joy that filled his heart when she suddenly said his nickname. Oh, how he wanted to grab her up in a hug, but how strange that would to do. Let her do it, he thought, give her the permission to touch. He didn't want to seem strange and eager, no matter the fact that he was.

He nodded, enthusiastically, and turned to place a hand on the brown, who pulled back enough to be seen fully by both woman and dragonet. He didn't croon, as that wasn't his way, but he did lower his head enough to be looked at more closely by her. "Alassiel, I would like you to meet Sinnjorokath. He's just over six Turns now. I Impressed him a bit after you left for the South." It was only then that the brown made any sort of sound, and when he did, it was out of affection for the young man that he had chosen on the sands all those Turns prior, a decision he had never once regretted because it had been such a perfect one in his mind, and always would be.

Then Chet looked down at the beautiful garnet, and he broke out in a grin again. "And to you! Sweet Faranth, when..." Oh, don't say he'd heard, don't admit that he'd come down just because of her. He bit down on his cheek and quickly rewound, hoping to cover his tracks before he got too far. "When I bonded, I hoped for you. And it seems as though it finally came true. Wow... she's beautiful." Just like you, always. He was so happy for it, and it radiated off of him. "What's her name? What kind of dragon is she? I've never seen something her color before."

The big brown curleld up on the ground as the two riders stepped away to speak, leaving him and the young dragonet to speak to one another. He eyed her careful, enchanted by her, and decided he could be kind to her. What brings me here, little Akath? Why my rider, though he would not appreciate me delving into those details, I'm afraid. Let us just say he came to see yours, and we will leave soon enough, so she would be best to enjoy his company while she has the chance. But where are my manners, I should be a little more kind to you. He dipped his head to touch his muzzle against her, and gently crooned, the first soft tone to be heard from him in a while at least, and had Chet heard him, he would have looked at him in surprise. I am Sinnjorokath, as you no doubt have heard my rider say, and I am of Telgarian blood. It is a pleasure to meet you, little jewel. And that is what she would be to him, even when she was fully grown and they were nearly the same size - a little jewel.

[Talonflame]

The way his breath had seemed to catch in his throat, only to release it in a sigh of relief when she said his nickname, wasn’t entirely lost to her, but she chose not to call him out on it for the time being. After all, it was interesting, seeing his reactions to her after all these Turns being apart. She tried so hard in that moment to remember just how long ago she had left Telgar for Atricis, and was surprised when the number actually escaped her entirely. Had it really been that long, that she couldn’t remember the length of time offhand? The thought shocked her enough to cause her eyes to widen slightly, though only for a moment so as not to make him worry too much about the expression. No, she was immensely glad to see a face from her childhood, or as close to her childhood as she could get without delving into Telgar Hold as opposed to the Weyr. And she was grateful that he had come to see her, to check on her after all these Turns… it let her know that someone from her past still thought of her, still cared enough to worry beyond the obvious of her parents and her brother.

But the conversation gratefully continued, the man nodding and turning to place his hand on the massive brown dragon standing close by. The brown had moved back just enough to allow both herself and her own dragon to see him fully, and she took that moment to appreciate just how large that he was. She wasn’t surprised when he hadn’t crooned, as she understood that not all dragons were the same, and perhaps it was just his way to remain quiet in situations like this. And it was in that moment that Chet stated how long she had been gone from Telgar, mentioned by the age of the dragon in question. Because quite obviously her friend had still been a candidate himself when she had transferred South, and yet here he was, a rider of six Turns. And with a splendid dragon to add to it all! Her spirits rose for the friend she had left behind in Telgar, not realizing that he had Impressed so soon after she had left. Perhaps if she had lingered just a bit longer… perhaps then she wouldn’t have missed the moment that surely brought him the greatest joy in his life. But instead of showing her displeasure in herself by frowning in that moment, she opted to dip her head respectfully to the brown when he was introduced to her, smiling warmly at her friend when she raised her head before turning her gaze back to the brown.

“It’s a great honor meeting you, Sinnjorokath. I only regret that we weren’t able to meet sooner.” Her words were indeed heartfelt, as she contemplated on just how much she had missed since she had left Telgar. To think that she had missed seeing the joy and elation on Chet’s face when this handsome brown had broken shell and come up to him! Ah, but then again, she might not have decided to transfer South otherwise, and she wouldn’t have been there when Akath had hatched. Such things always turned out to be a double-edged sword, and there was only the briefest of frowns crossing her features before she quickly schooled her expression back into a more pleasant one. “I know you have been keeping Chet safe, since I don’t see many new scars on him,” she teased, smiling at her friend as she spoke of the scars that lined his flesh. The same ones that had allowed her to realize that it was him, after he had changed so much from the gangly little boy that she had known in their youth. Ah, but things certainly changed, and she knew that she must look different from when she had left Telgar, and yet… yet he had recognized her right away. Had he perhaps been looking forward to seeing her again? And if that was the case, why had he never visited? But that just brought up a fact that she wasn’t sure if she actually liked remembering at the time; yes, he had never visited, but she had also never written. She forced the thought to the back of her mind, opting instead to speak to her friend yet again.

“It’s been far too long, Chet… Ah, but that isn't quite your name anymore, is it?” she asked him, her smile fading slowly as she began to realize just how much she had missed him being close by. He had always been there with her through her time at Telgar Weyr, always there to listen and be that shoulder to cry on, should she ever need it. She fought with the tears that started to well in her eyes for a moment before she just decided to reach out, her hands seeking his wrists and sighing as they found them. It wasn't long before she moved closer, tugging at him for a moment as she pulled him into a much needed hug. She buried her face into his shoulder, heaving a sigh as she took in the fact that yes, he was actually there. She only allowed herself to pull away when he started to ask about Akath, reaching up to wipe the tears from her face before offering a brief smile. She kept a hold of his hand as she moved to let him see more of her dragon, grinning at her dragon as she responded to his queries. “Her name is Akath, and she’s something unique to the South, I think. Her rank are called garnets, and I was actually there to see the first one ever hatch.”

Akath crooned softly to her rider in an attempt to calm the young woman’s frenzied thoughts, and her eyes whirled in anxious yellows for a moment before settling back to their usual blue-greens when Alassiel seemed to relax more. Strange, why was she suddenly acting so… unusual for her? She shook her head slightly as she turned her attention back to the brown, who had laid in a sunny spot as the riders had stepped away to speak, leaving the two dragons to talk at leisure. She eyed him for a moment, fascinated by his coloring as it was something she hadn't seen in an Atrician dragon, and paid careful attention to what he said as he spoke. So the man had come here just to see her rider? She must have held some significant place in his mind, then, she thought with a nod as he continued on, introducing himself and telling her where they were from. My rider has spoken of Telgar. She says it is far to the North, and that something cold and white falls there. Can you tell me more about Telgar, Sinnjorokath? I would very much like to hear about it.

[Ember]

Oh, but it was good to see her, almost more than his poor heart could contain. When she touched him, he didn't think he could move, and when she embraced him, Faranth, it was like his entire being had been shaped for this moment of reunion between them. He knew it wasn't everything, but he had missed her so much, and his own eyes watered at the surge that rolled up from his stomach as they held one another for the briefest of moments. When they parted, he was quick to look away, to wipe at his face between the tears could fall or be noticed, and then she was telling him of her dragon, the uniqueness of her, and it made him smile and cover up the fact that he'd been on the verge of crying all together. He reached for her hand, without thinking really, and nodded. Garnets, new and unique to the South, and she was bonded to one. He smiled and looked at her. After giving her fingers another squeeze, he let go and glanced at her, away from their dragons. "D'ante. My name is D'ante now."

Sinnjorokath, for his part, was curious about the little dragonet next to him. He had never seen anything so bright and red before, except maybe the Red Star, but she was not dangerous. She was pretty, and small, and not at all something to spark caution in him. He lowered his head and settled it on the ground, then invited her closer, to come spend time with him as they enjoyed watching their riders together. Telgar is not nearly as big and bright as it is here. Nor is it as sunny and warm. It is made in a mountain, with weyrs that are built into the cliffs. We have to fly to them and sleep on stone ledges. There is no Weyrbowl here, like there is in the Weyr's in the North, which confuses me a great deal. Right now, it snows, this white fluff that falls from the sky. It is cold, and gathers a great deal in places if you let it, but it's fun to play in, so the dragonets claim. I much prefer the warmth though.

[Talonflame]

It was a feeling that she hadn’t been used to in so long, she had to admit with a smile as she watched her old friend curiously. It had been ages since they had seen each other, and even with the changes that his body had gone through over the Turns, she was amazed to discover that she still felt so relaxed around him. It was something that had seemed to draw her to him in the first place, making her gravitate towards him during their time together as candidates. Though she had to admit that more often than not, it seemed as if she barely noticed him, engrossed as she had been in such duties as chores and lessons at the time. Did she regret any of it? Of course she did, for as absorbed in her studies as she had been, she had always considered the young man one of her closest friends. And here they were, after Turns apart and one of them having Impressed and graduated into full-fledged riderhood during those Turns, while she had run to the South with her tail between her legs, so to speak. She still found herself wondering, for the briefest of moments, what could have been, had she remained in Telgar. But she quickly forced the thought from her mind. Akath was her life now, and she wouldn’t have had it any other way.

It wasn’t long before he spoke, pulling her out of her thoughts and back into reality. Well, that and the way that he had let go of her hand, the absence of warmth against her skin a stark contrast and jarring her to the point of staring straight at him for a moment. So of course she heard as he told her what his name had become upon his Impression to Sinnjorokath, and she nodded approvingly at the change. Not that she hadn’t approved of the name he had been given at birth, mind you, but the honorific seemed… fitting to him, especially with the changes he had gone through since that fateful day that his brown had come to him on Telgar’s sands. “Well, D’ante,” she started, using the new honorific and smiling at the feel of the name falling so easily from her lips. Yes, she could get used to calling him something new… or at least, calling him that in public. No matter what, he would always be her dear friend. “I hope it would be alright with you if I kept calling you Chet when others aren’t around?” Her smile widened a bit as she glanced her friend over, looking to the brown and eyeing him over appreciatively, deciding that the pair were most certainly a fine match from what she could tell so far. “And what exactly brings you here to the South? A transfer, perhaps?”

As the little garnet had never seen a dragon from anywhere other than her Southern home before, she quickly found herself fascinated by the brown resting next to her. She hadn’t seen anything quite like him among the other browns of the Weyr, including her own brothers, and that was a thought that drew her to him quicker than anything else. So when he lowered his head, resting his jaw along the ground, she responded quickly to his invitation, moving closer and settling onto her belly on the sun-warmed earth beneath them. The pair would remain there so long as their riders spoke, and they in turn would get to know each other, so it was most certainly a good experience for both Akath and her rider. It was then that Sinnjorokath started speaking again, telling her what he knew of her rider’s ancestral home. Or at least, the Weyr she had lived in before coming to Atricis and Akath cracking her shell, as the garnet vaguely remembered the girl saying that she wasn’t from a Weyr at all, but rather a smaller settlement called a cothold within Telgar’s territory.

The thought of a place not being as sunny or warm as Atricis made the garnet tilt her head in a curious manner, a habit that she had picked up from her rider already. Why would any dragon choose to live in a place that was so… unpleasant, from the sounds of it? Built into a mountain, you say? she started, flicking her wings closer to her sides as she considered the possibility. Cliff weyrs? Hmm... I have to admit, the thought of lounging on sun-warmed stone does sound more enjoyable than the dirt here. Yes, stone did hold more of the sun’s heat than the earth did, and stayed warm all throughout the night. That in and of itself sounded more preferable to her, but her home was just that; home. She couldn’t find much fault with it, and doubted that she would ever leave. After all, Alassiel had told her that dragons such as herself weren’t exactly welcomed outside of their home. Though Sinnjorokath certainly didn’t seem put off by her, and that alone made her more than happy. Though I have to ask you, Sinnjorokath... what is a 'Weyrbowl'? I have... never heard that term before.

[Ember]

He paused, hesitated even, because it was the question he had least expected to be faced with. Sure, he should have known it was heading towards him, why wouldn't she ask him what he was doing in the South? But it was the fact that had slipped in the word 'transfer' that completely upended him. Sinn completely thought it was funny, going so far as to laugh in his rider's head in the way only dragons could, but he found no humor in the matter. This was something serious, something he needed to figure his way around because either he admitted to his feelings for her, or he slithered around that and... "Why yes, as a matter of fact I am here for a transfer. I still have things I need to go get, of course, but I'll be coming down here shortly."

'Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckityfuck.'

There is that option of telling her...

'No! Not when she is acting like my buddy. I can't possibly do this now.' It was going to be sweaty palms and flushed skin whenever he saw her from now on, it would seem...

Sinn, for his part, wasn't having the same issue. The normally cranky brown was enjoying the little garnet's attention, perhaps because he was still so delighted by the color of her hide. So he was more than willing to entertain the young thing, and was glad she was enjoying his company in return, or so it seemed. He would do his best to continue to entertain her while his rider conversed with her own. A weyrbowl isn't all that different from what all this... is. It's just in the center of the mountain space that we live in. I can show you a picture of it, and you can see for yourself. He wasn't sure how receptive she would be to images, but he tried showing her what a bowl looked like regardless, and hoped that it passed through.